Naming of Ingram Hall, $1 million Diepenhorst gift announced

Posted by Jayme BlaschkeOffice of Media Relations November 12, 2015

Texas State University has announced a $1 million gift from San Antonio philanthropists Dan and Cindee Diepenhorst to benefit student-athlete scholarships, and a name for its soon-to-be-built engineering and science building: Bruce and Gloria Ingram Hall.

The Texas State University System Board of Regents on Nov. 12 accepted the Diepenhorst gift and approved naming the Champions Club level at Bobcat Stadium after the couple. Regents previously had approved naming the engineering and science building for the Ingrams.

The Diepenhorst gift will be used to match other philanthropic support toward athletic scholarships. The program doubles a donor’s gift when a new endowment is established in athletics. Gifts ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 will qualify for this match. The goal is to encourage involvement from other passionate Texas State alums to increase the overall athletics endowment by $2 million.

“Cindee and I are blessed and feel fortunate to have the opportunity to support Texas State and deserving student-athletes in this way,” said Dan Diepenhorst. “We believe this will help build momentum already established and get other donors and alums more involved and engaged in our pursuit of excellence.”

Dan Diepenhorst, president of Legacy Mutual Mortgage, earned his business administration degree from Texas State in 1989. He began his mortgage lending career in San Antonio in 1992, and founded Legacy Mutual Mortgage in 2003.

“Our No. 1 fundraising priority here at Texas State is scholarship support,” said President Denise M. Trauth. “The Diepenhorsts’ commitment to our mission of supporting our student-athletes is truly remarkable and this gift stands as another defining moment in the history of our university. We are very fortunate Dan and Cindee believe in our vision to see this university and our athletics department become great.”

With this gift, the Diepenhorsts become Texas State “Heroes” – a group of individuals, companies and foundations that have donated more than $1 million to Texas State.

“This is an unbelievable day for Texas State Athletics. Dan and Cindee’s gift is truly inspirational, and we cannot thank them enough for their continued support of our university,” said Director of Athletics Larry Teis. “In every athletics department, long-term sustainability is critical to success. This gift makes a huge difference.”

In recognition of the gift, the Board of Regents authorized a request from Texas State to rename the Champions Club level at Bobcat Stadium to the Dan and Cindee Diepenhorst Champions Club Level.

Regents previously had authorized naming the new science and engineering building to be built at the San Marcos Campus after Bruce and Gloria Ingram, who have had a longstanding relationship with Texas State. The Bruce and Gloria Ingram School of Engineering already bears the Ingram name, and the couple’s most recent gift of $5 million supported the construction of research facilities and equipment in the new engineering and science building, which is scheduled for completion in 2018.

"We have lived in the community for 45 years, and supporting Texas State is our way of giving back to San Marcos and the state of Texas,” Bruce and Gloria Ingram said in a prepared statement. “We have watched the incredible growth of the Ingram School of Engineering over the past decade and are excited by what the future has in store.”

The Ingram’s $5 million gift is eligible for a 100 percent matching grant from the Texas Research Incentive Program, thereby doubling the gift’s value to $10 million. In addition, Ingram Readymix, a company started by Bruce and Gloria Ingram in 1957, has given an in-kind gift of $2.1 million worth of concrete to help construct the building.

“The Ingrams have been extraordinarily generous to the university over the years and their commitment to engineering and research activities has helped transform the Ingram School of Engineering,” Trauth said. “These gifts will continue to have a remarkable impact on the university by allowing us to expand programs and research opportunities and helping Texas State reach new highs in excellence.”

Texas State added its first engineering program in 1999, and an initial gift from the Ingrams led to the establishment of the Ingram School of Engineering in 2007. The new building had been a high priority for the university for several years, sparked primarily by rapid growth in engineering programs and research-related activities. The engineering program also plays a critical role in Texas State’s goal of becoming eligible for the National Research University Fund, a state fund that helps qualifying institutions significantly increase their research activities.

“This building will allow Texas State University to be an even bigger player in the economic advancement of the local, regional and national economy,” said Robert Habingreither, interim dean of the College of Science and Engineering. “Through both their vision and commitment to engineering education, Bruce and Gloria Ingram have made a very significant contribution to the mission of this institution and we are all deeply grateful for their unending support.”

Over the years, the Ingrams have given more than $14 million to Texas State, which includes endowments for faculty and scholarships for students. With all the matching gifts from the Ingrams and Ingram Readymix included, the Ingram family will have contributed $21,255,500 to Texas State for the engineering program and the construction of research facilities in the new engineering and science building.